Posted Dec 01, 2023
Green City Market's own Katie Schwartz (@katiefeedsyou on Instagram) is bringing spiced flavors straight into winter with her warm apple tartes tatin!
Katie suggests using an assortment of firm apples like the one's found at Nichol's Farm and Orchard and Ellis Family Farms. We love the mild flavor of honey crisp, ever crisp or mutsu varieties for this already sweet recipe. With a warm caramel drizzle on top, these cinnamon spiced bites are the perfect addition to your cozy winter baking!
Find Katie's full recipe below and visit GCM Avondale for all your local ingredient needs!
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Ingredients:
- 1 box of ready to bake puff pastry sheets (2 sheets); defrosted
- 4-6 large apples (usually an assortment of different varieties like Honeycrisp, Evercrisp, or Mutsu. Best to use ones that are firm & tend to hold their shape, are crisp, and not too sweet)
- (Apples from Nichols Farm and Orchard and Ellis Family Farms)
- 1-1.5 cups of sugar (cane or brown or a combo of both)
- ½-1 tbsp of vanilla extract
- 2 tsp of ground cinnamon (sometimes I will use cardamom & ginger as well)
- ~1 tbsp of unrefined coconut oil, vegan butter or dairy butter
- Dash of salt
- Water for caramel
Directions:
Making the tartes:
- Heat oven to 400 F. Grease 12 cups of a standard muffin tin with butter or oil, and then line them with circles of parchment paper, and then lightly spray the parchment with oil as well. (I trace the muffin tins circles onto the parchment paper beforehand) ?
- Core your apples, and then using a sharp knife, slice your apples into razor thin half-moons.
- Soak apple slices in just boiled water for a few minutes to help them become more bendable.
- Roll out pastry sheets until very thin – about 1/8 of an inch or thinner, if possible.
- Cut each sheet lengthwise into 6 strips (so 12 strips total). Distribute cinnamon (and other spices) over the strips.
- Working in batches of 6, arrange the apple slices overlapping one another, on the top half of each strip (as shown). Then fold the bottom half over the apple slices and gently press pastry – the bottom half of apple slices should be encased by pastry, leaving the unpeeled rounded edges exposed at the top.
- Roll up apple-filled pastry strip to form a rose (as shown) and pinch end of the strip to seal. Repeat with all
remaining pastry strips, and set aside (if your kitchen is particularly hot you can pop them in the fridge briefly)
Making the caramel:
- In a small pot over medium heat, combine and stir sugar & water (a few splashes) until it dissolves and begins to darken & thicken/harden. Don’t stir too often but don’t let it burn – you’re looking for a caramel syrup. It should take 10 minutes or so. Add in vanilla extract, a pad or 2 of butter/coconut oil, a dash of salt, and extra spices if you’d like. Mix together until well combined.
- *Tip: use a silicone brush to brush water along the edges of the pot at beginning of cooking your caramel to help avoid sticking
- Spoon caramel into each muffin tin cup. Then place each apple rose top/apple slice side facing down into each tin, so that pastry edge is exposed.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the puff pastry is golden and firm to the touch.
- Let sit & rest for a few minutes before removing from muffin tins (but don’t wait too long or the caramel will harden making it difficult to remove!)
- I like to serve mine with ice cream or whipped cream (or both!)